labor/delivery nursing

[SharonP]

Hi, I am 40 years old and have always wanted to work in the labor/delivery room. Actually, anything that will deal with the newborn babies. I would love to work in the nursery, taking care of them or just holding them. We have 4 children, whom I adore! I've had 2 miscarriages and had a hysterectomy in June of last year. My oldest is 15 and my youngest is 3. I would love to work in these areas after my 3 yr. old starts school in 2 years.

What procedures do I need to follow? college, classes, etc.....??????

Thank you to all who answer!!!

SharonP

[Q.]

Hi Sharon,

You didn't mention if you already were a nurse. If you ARE an RN, there are many opportunities to work in L&D; sometimes the demand is competitive so you might have to start in a post-partum wing, gain some experience and then move into L&D or nursery.

If you are a lay person, I don't think they will allow you in the delivery rooms on a regular basis, but I DO know that some intensive care nurseries allow lay volunteers to come and hold some of the infants who are there for weeks to months. With so many newborns, it's hard to devote the kind of attention that these babies need.

The facility should instruct you if they feel that you need some classes or training, etc.

Be prepared for some heartaches and disappointments. L&D and NICU isn't as warm and fuzzy as people perceive. I am an experienced L&D nurse and have seen alot of horrible, horrible tragedies. Just a fair warning.

Good luck.

[shay]

Working in the nursery is not all feeding changing and holding. Babies get sick and die there. Especially in the NICU. And lots of times the death isn't quick, it's dragged out over a matter of weeks.

Labor and delivery isn't all fun and games either. Babies get into severe distress and you have to fly down the hall w/a screaming mother on the bed for a crash c-section. Mothers and babies die. You deliver stillborns. People sue you. Women in labor hit, spit, and puke on you, and violent fathers and family members verbally assault you and even try to physically assault you.

Just trying to put some perspective on things, as a former NICU nurse and active labor and delivery nurse. If, even with all the above mentioned circumstances, you still want to work in the nursery or l&d, great. We'd love to have someone with heart and determination.

If you're a nurse already, just apply wherever they're hiring. You're sure to get in somewhere. If you're a lay person who wants to be a nurse, go to your local community college or university and talk to an admissions counselor. If you're a lay person who doesn't want to be a nurse but wants to give love and 'cuddle time' to babies that need it, call the volunteer center at your local hospitals and inquire about being a baby rocker for at-risk infants like Susy k said. When I worked in NICU I always appreciated the volunteers who came up to give the much-needed holding and personal attention to my smaller, weaker babies whose parents for whatever reason couldn't be there.

Good luck in whatever you decide.